July 21, 1870. ] 



JOUKNAL OF HOETICDIiTOEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEK. 



49 



be merely labour thrown away. Mulched Paas, Beans, Cauli- 

 flowers, &c, with anything and everything we could get hold 

 of, and it is wonderful how the mulching tells in relieving the 

 roots and enabling them to pump up moisture to meat the de- 

 mands of the sun on the large foliage. All iu all, we have never 

 had better Cauliflower, but it has given us extra trouble and 

 labour. Again, never had we better Ashleaved Kidney Potatoes, 

 and never earlier out of doors, and yet the soil about them and 

 around them was as dry as dust. Liter kinds, however, aro 

 not doing so well, some of them are tubering slowly. Even 

 Early Shaws, pretty early, and generally a great baaror, is far 

 from equalling the Kidaoys. Hyatt's Ashleaf is perhaps the 

 best for forcing, but the Prolific of others is fine for out-door 

 ■work. Wa attribute the great yield in our casa partly to a 

 dressing of lime which the ground had not received for many 

 years. Tht3 helped to decompose mora rapidly the organic 

 matter in the soil, and helped also to make the soil a batter 

 retainer and absorber of moisture, ho waver obtained. We fear, 

 if this dryness continues, the haulm of the late kinds will wither 

 before the tubers ripen. The dryness has forced us to make 

 some planting depend on our ability to give a watering whan 

 first turned out. Those moved with balls hold their own pretty 

 well ; those turned out with the dibbar hung their heads unless 

 tbay had moisture at the roots. 



We were pleased to notice the communication of Mr. Castle, 

 at page 11, on no watering. Oar attention has been directed to 

 it by several amateur correspondents, who say they are in a 

 perfect maza between our little and peculiar watering at the 

 roots beneath, and keeping the surface as much a3 possible dry, 

 and Mr. Castle's no watering at all. In our circumstances, 

 even at bedding-out time, and watering our plants in beds 

 and trenches previously, and lifting tha p!ant3 with balls well 

 moistened, and planting them at once in the moistest soil, we 

 could not have done without a little watering to settle the roots, 

 and encourage them to progress, because our soil was in general 

 so dry, and we only secured a little moisturo beneath by keeping 

 the soil there, and not bringing it to the surface Tha great 

 key to the difference between our treatment and that of Mr. 

 Castle, and both we presume successful, is to be found in tha 

 statement, page 11 — " Between March and May we have much 

 cold weather." The plants being, therefore, woll watered as 

 often recommended beforehand, the roots have a comparatively 

 moist soil to go into, and, therefore, need but little watering, 

 though a little given at the roots, and not a surface dressing, 

 would have done in our opinion no harm, but some good as 

 preventing anything like a check. We are quite as much 

 opposed as Mr. Castle to every-day watering. Wa know that iu 

 many circumstances the cold thus produced by rapid evapor- 

 ation cools the roots of the plant, but that is not owing to the 

 water in those circumstances beiug colder than the soil im- 

 mediately round tha roots, unless trouble has been takan to 

 turn down sunbeams, or in other words the heated soil of the 

 surface, for water fully exposed will generally be found littla or 

 no colder than the soil within 4 or 6 inches of tha surface, 

 unless that has bean artificially heated by the turning-down 

 mode jast referred to, and thit plan, howeve* good in general, 

 we could not practise this yoar, as if we had done so, tha soil 

 to the depth of tha turning would have beon like so much 

 ashes taken from under a grate. It is the rapid evaporation 

 from the surface that cools the soil ; but, then, that is avoided 

 when the watering is so given as to leave a dry surface. We have 

 stated how dry soma of our dug soil was to tha depth of 2 faet. 

 The other day men were making holes for the posts of a new 

 fence in a meadow, and to the depth of 16 inches the soil was 

 perfectly dry, notwithstanding that the surface was covered 

 with rough herbage. Further down you could first find traces 

 of moisture, and then enough of it for anything. Now to 

 plant with even moistened balls, and still more with a dibber, 

 ia such thoroughly-dried ground would just be labour thrown 

 away. Circumstances thus entirely alter the treatment that 

 should be given. Where there has been plenty of wet weather 

 up to May, planting out in the end of May may be done very 

 differently to what would be required in cases where there has 

 scarcely been a good rain siuco the beginning of the year. In 

 general, too, on the west coast the atmosphere is more charged 

 with vapour, and there are more passing and frequent showers 

 than in the midland and eastern counties of the island. It 

 used to be said there was scarcely a day without a shower in 

 SDme parts of the west of Scotland. As the heat and drought 

 of the summer progressed we found a little water at the roots, 

 still more essential at all fresh plantings and sowings. After 

 the very hot days, had we the water we would have been 



tempted to have given some of the tenderest things a skifi 

 from the syringe or garden engine, just to refresh the foliage, 

 as what little fell on the heatei soil would be quickly raised in 

 vapour, and thus help to give what Nature had reiused to give 

 for weeks — a gentle dew. For a couple of months we have 

 rarely had anything worthy of the name of a dewy morning. 

 In the moistest bit of ground we had we turned out strong 

 Caulifiower plants with large balls, and though we shaded them 

 a little, we soon found we would have heads like buttons and 

 spinning tops if we oould not have watered wi'.h even dirty 

 water. Personally we feel obliged to Mr. Castle for his pithy 

 article. Extremes often meet. Tha frequent or every-day 

 waterer of plauts in the open ground may be led to see that 

 there may be too much of a good thing. The advooate of "no 

 watering" may come to the conclusion that " once watering," 

 or even " judicious watering," does not involve " always water- 

 ing," and those who are now somewhat bewildored by differences 

 of opinion, may see daylight through their difficulties by re- 

 membering that different circumstances a3 to soil and climate 

 requira some difference in management. We hava no doubt 

 whatever that many of our friends with water at full command 

 water their plauts into disease and dissolution. 



Mushrooms, — "Anxious," fond of Mushrooms, but hitherto 

 unsuccessful, with a low close shed 18 feat long and 11 feet 

 wide, and having about a bushel and a half of horse droppings 

 every day, with about as much of littery straw, wants to know 

 how to get the most Mushrooms most easily. In such a case, 

 a3 tha beds are to be on the floor, we would divide our space into 

 four equal parts, with a walk of 2 feet or 30 inches down the 

 centre. This would give room for four beds 9 feet long and 

 rather more than 4 feet ia width. Our shallowest beds we 

 would have about 12 inches deep in front, and from 15 to 

 18 inches deep at back. For winter work W9 would have them 

 a little deeper, and depend on surface covering to keep up the 

 necessary heat. Now, there are many ways of making such 

 beds. Wa will put ourselves just in the position of " Anxious," 

 and advise him to do as we have frequently done. Collect 

 the droppings with nearly an equal portion of short litter for 

 a week or ten days, and lay them in any place not too thickly, 

 where no rain will fall on them. Then add a barrowload or 

 two of dry soil, mix all together, and make this the base of the 

 9-feet bod. Baat it firmly together, and it will heat very 

 moderately. Then every second day add the droppiug3, and 

 the same amount of short, dryish litter all over, tread or beat, 

 and then put a little dry soil over. Continue the process until 

 tha necessary height is secured, as referred to above, for the 

 different seasons. By this plan, as will be perceived, th9 bed 

 will never become very hot, and the bulk of the manure will be 

 fresh — full of nitrogenous matter — and, therefore, capable of 

 oirryiug a heavy crop of Mushrooms. We have tried many 

 modes, and successfully too, but never one with more success 

 than the above, and it is peculiarly applicable where a bushel 

 or so of droppings can be obtained every day. The success 

 will greatly depend on preventing overheating by the frequent 

 beating and the adding of a little dry earth. Street sweepings 

 or road scrapings when dry are admirable for this purpose 

 People are Blow to learn that fermenting material, as dung, wil. 

 heat mildly and keep up the heat long in proportion as it isl 

 so consolidated as to keep out air, or rather prevent its free 

 entranoa.- By such a mode the manure is not exhausted as 

 it often is when thrown into a heap and allowed to ferment 

 freely. 



If we had the droppings of a single horse and had leisure, 

 the above is the mode we would adopt. Why do you not adopt 

 it now ? Just because we could not easily get the droppings 

 regularly, and amidst the multiplicity of matters demanding 

 attention we should not be able to attend to Mushroom-bed- 

 making every day or every other day. Those who try the plan, 

 however, will soon be satisfied that manure cannot be put in 

 the beds too fresh, provided the layers are so thin and com- 

 pressed that violent heating is avoided. Such beds generally 

 become a mass of spawn, and oontinue bearing a long time. 

 A peculiar treatment, however, has something to do with long 

 bearing. When the beds seem a little exhausted it is well to 

 sweep them clean, and allow the surface to become a little dry. 

 Then, in eight or ten days, make a few small holes over the 

 bed, and give a good watering with water at from 80° to 90°, so 

 that the water will pass down into the manure, pat the bed 

 gently over with the back of a clean spade, cover with clean 

 litter to keep in the heat and moisture, and often in such 

 cases in a week or two you will have a white carpet of Mush- 

 rooms. 



